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*****
*Corey*
“Corey –” I had just walked into Kaden’s office.
“You said you would call them, Kade. Where are they?” I asked. They had the ability to teleport, they should have been there as soon or just hours after they were contacted.
“No one can get a hold of Marcus or Bianca. It’s like they’ve disappeared.” Sean said.
“No! That doesn’t make any sense! We saw them a few weeks ago! You guys have to be able to get a hold of them somehow; it’s been over a day! I need – I need to find him!” I was losing my cool so badly, I was lucky only Sean and Kaden were in the office and that it was soundproof.
“Corey, calm down. We’re doing everything we can! But I’m doing all of this and overseeing the search and the re-building, and you’re just freaking out. I told you I needed you to pull it together, at least just until we’ve singled out the problems and calmed the pack down.” Sean said desperately.
“I am calm!” I exclaimed. They stared at me and I sighed running my hands through my hair again. “Fine.” I sighed looking at Sean which instantly caused me to feel bad because of how stressed and drained he looked. “I’ll take over the building, it’s a distraction… But I also need to find Jayden.” I said. I raised my eyebrows as Sean shook his head at me.
“No, you’re too emotional for that.” I stared at him. What?
“Too emotional? He’s my mate!”
“Exactly! You’re too panicked to even look at this rationally! Too shaken to find solutions.” Sean said. I bit my tongue annoyed. He was right but of course I could not just stay out of it. They sighed.
“Listen, Corey… I’ll find Bianca and Marcus, and they will find Jayden for us. I’ve already sent people to their house. I’ll have them by this afternoon, I promise.” Kaden said to me.
“Yes, and when they’re here, you can get involved in finding your mate. But right now, as you said, Corey, you get the re-building. Have you woken the twins?” Sean looked at me.
“Uh, no, they should still be asleep… Just tell them I’m working when they wake up.” I said.
“Corey –” Sean began.
“Please make sure they’re fed, make sure Eli takes a bath and watch Tammy when she’s in the garden, she’s always in a garden; she shouldn’t be outside by herself especially not right now, the same goes for Eli. I’ll be on our territory.” I said and left before they could object.
I headed through the house making my way towards the front door when I heard Tamia. “Papa?”
I cursed in my head, she must have sniffed me out as soon as I left the office. I heard hasty footsteps but instead of waiting for her, I sprinted out of the packhouse.
I didn’t stop running until I was fairly far away and began jogging towards our territory before calling Jason who had been supervising. He got me caught up as we spoke to him about how far they were, if they had run into any problems so far – not necessarily building problems but more ambushes – and if they had found any evidence or traces. Both of the later questions received ‘no’ answers.
I ended the call and almost jumped out of my skin when I heard a ruffle in the trees before quickly realising that it was just a hare.
I sighed as I ran my hands through my hair for the umpteenth time that morning. I had to get it together and needed to focus on being a powerful, unbreakable Beta. I needed to lead and do a better job at pretending that I was alright.
But honestly, I didn’t think I could do any of those things without having him close to me.
*Jayden*
I stared at the cage. I hadn’t moved my eyes from the wire for at least twenty minutes. I was trying to convince myself to touch it again. After my fingers had not even touched it the first time, I tried to break the lock after covering my hands in my vest but the lock seemed bound by magic as well and the wolfsbane seeped through the fabric to burn into my hands anyway. My hands were charred, still burning despite my trying to rub everything off my skin… but I had to try again. If I couldn’t get out of the cage, if I didn’t try, anything that happened to Eli would be my fault.
It was my fault.
I should have forced him to go to the shelter; I should have made sure he left when Tamia had, should have been his parent and not allowed him to argue with me at such a critical time when everyone was clearly in danger. Fuck, I should have gone with them and he would not have had a reason to argue with me.
I didn’t even know if Tamia had made it to the shelter and if she had, had it made any difference? Was there anyone still left in the pack? I shuddered. If Eli was captured, at least I knew he was alive. No, she was alive too. She had to be alive. Our pack was too strong for everyone to have gotten hurt.
How had Corey’s meeting gone? Had they returned back to only rubble where their pack used to be?
I shook my head dropping my face into my hands but instantly hissed pulling back when my face burnt. I had forgotten about the traces of wolfsbane for a second despite my hands still actively burning.
I had no idea what to do, and I was only making it worse thinking about it, only making myself more anxious. I clenched my fist.
Stop being a child, Jayden. Do it yourself. Fix it yourself.
My jaw tightened. I had to find my son and get home. I had to know Tamia was alright and Corey had not come home to nothing.
It’s only wolfsbane and my hands were already burning so what did it matter if I hurt them some more?
It’s what killed Izabella’s parents, and they were one of the most powerful pairs of Alpha and Luna. Though, those bullets had had platinum mixed into them as well, that’s why they died.
I was stalling, wasn’t I? But even if I managed to get the cage open, I would have been further poisoned by wolfsbane. I would not get help quick enough to save both of us –
Fuck Jayden, just do it. Who knows what they’re doing to Eli –?
Without another thought, I lifted my foot and slammed it against the cage’s lock. I let out a cry pulling my leg back and hissing as I tried to soothe the burn my foot had gotten from the split-second contact it had had with the wolfsbane coated lock and wire.
I grit my teeth at the pain as I moved as far away from the cage’s wires as I could. It wasn’t even a greatly made cage, but I had no way of breaking out of it with my strength when it was coated in wolfsbane.
I frowned at the burn wound below my foot. Great, one more thing to slow me down. It was going to take a while to heal, but I had to try again. I held my breath preparing for the pain as I lifted my leg but froze at the sound of one of the bolts outside being opened. My eyes shot to the door in the dim room as it continued to unlock. Though I tried not to show my fear, I felt myself instinctively press against the wall behind me.
I squinted my eyes as blinding light flooded into the room again when the door was shoved open.
“Wakey-wakey, Son!”
There was a slight bit of relief in my chest at the sound of my father’s voice rather than Mike’s, but when he shut the door darkening the room again, my heart stopped when I realised that if he wasn’t coming down with my father, he had to be with my son…
I stared at the man’s movements as he lit the room up by clicking a switch before strolling towards the cage I was in. My eyes fell to his hand as they caught movement from his side. It clutched what looked like a steak knife. I didn’t care about the knife though, it was the faint stench of blood and the traces of watery red on the knife that had me almost breaking down in my corner.
He chuckled.
“It’s not the kid’s… yet. It’s just his breakfast.” What was he feeding my son? He knelt before the cage and glared at me, “You idiot. You began hurting yourself before I could get to you, where’s the fun in that for me?” he asked.
“If-if you let him go, I’ll make sure nothing happens to you when Corey finds you,” I said.
“Corey?” He chuckled, “We took care of your mate a long time ago, Jay. It’s Carrie’ choice what she does with that piece of shit, but I can assure you: he won’t be coming to look for you anytime soon.” He stood up, “And as for the brat, the Beta won’t be looking for him either. You know, he knows to take care of the sick one before he can move on to finding the other. Better one than none, right?”
Sick? What was he talking about?
“What did you do to her?” I asked softly.
“Your daughter? Nothing. Magic has that effect on people when it’s used continuously, it’s much worse on children, she’s probably incredibly sick by now.” He said.
I clenched my fist.
“Stop messing with me and tell me what you’re doing here. What do you want from me? Take it and stop tormenting my family! Just do what the fuck you want to me and leave them out of this!” I snapped.
“Oh, but they’re so much fun to mess with –” I tried to launch at him, forgetting about the wolfsbane for a second and I cried out when my hands touched the cage wires.
I heard him laugh as I fell back against the wall trying to endure the burn on my hands. I felt the sudden urge to shift, but being an Amarelo, that wasn’t a very good idea while I was in a cage or my wolf would go insane and end up injuring or killing the both of us.
“Since you want out so badly –” I froze as my father muttered a spell and within a second I was suddenly out of the cage, right beside it. “There you go.”
My eyes fell on the knife in his hand and I suddenly regretted trying to get out.
No, stop being so fucking weak, Jayden. If you take him out, Eli shouldn’t be far away…
“Happy now?” He smiled. I scrambled to my feet so that I wasn’t looking up to him… that much. I was still shorter. He stepped forward and I cursed myself as I instinctively stepped back making him laugh. “Not so confident now, are we, Jay-Jay?” I frowned at the name. It was not one he used affectionately, it sounded mocking. My mom called me that was I was little.
Clenching my teeth, I forced myself to look confident as I took a step towards him, he didn’t seem phased by it.
“You think I’m afraid of you?” One of his eyes brows rose as he glanced over me curiously and I gave a chuckle that completely contradicted with how afraid I was feeling on the inside. If I shook him, I could catch him off guard. “I killed you once, Chris.” His smile vanished from his face and I stepped closer to him again, “I can do it again.” I finished.
*****
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